Stafford

Stafford's population expanded in the decade to 2011. At the same time there were changes in relationships, housing tenure and health.

The population passed 130,000

In the 10 years leading up to the latest census, the population of Stafford increased by 8.5%, from just under 121,000 to 131,000.

The addition of just over 10,000 people means this area's population increased at a similar rate to the overall population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Stafford was home to, on average, 1.6 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was lower than the average across the West Midlands

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across the West Midlands, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Stafford

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Stafford increased by three years, from 40 to 43 years.

This affluent area had a higher average age than the West Midlands and remained somewhat older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of about 4,500 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by just over 2,000.

About 13% of people in Stafford are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, West Midlands and Stafford by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

More people living alone

Stafford saw the West Midlands' second-largest rise in the proportion of one-person households.

In 2011, just under 3 in 10 (29%) households in Stafford had only one person, compared with 26% in 2001. The percentage of households comprising an unmarried couple increased from 8.0% to 9.5%.

Across the region, only Staffordshire Moorlands saw a greater rise in the proportion of one-person households (from 25% to 28%).

During this period, Stafford went from having the 20th-highest to the 13th-highest percentage of one-person households out of 309 English local authority areas.

The percentage of households with only one person was lower than across the West Midlands

Percentage of households that comprised only one person across local authority areas in the West Midlands and the average across England, March 2011

Changing work life

The rate of self-employment increased in Stafford, but at a slower rate than all other local authority areas in the West Midlands, except Lichfield.

Every local authority area across the West Midlands saw a rise in the proportion of self-employed people, as the regional average grew from 7.4% to 8.5%.

The rate of self-employment was higher than across the West Midlands

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 that said they were self-employed across local authority areas in the West Midlands and the average across England, March 2011

More people worked short hours

The percentage of employed people in Stafford working less than 16 hours increased from 1.9% to 3.4% between the last two censuses.

In 2011, just over one in nine (12%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, compared with 14% in 2001.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the West Midlands (from 1.7% in 2001 to 3.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.9% to 3.1%.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week in Stafford increased by 1.5 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Stafford, the West Midlands and England that said they had worked less than 16 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Stafford

The percentage of Stafford residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 3.0% to 3.7% in the decade to 2011.

The percentage who reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities remained close to 8.0%, while the percentage of Stafford residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability remained close to 89%.

The proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the West Midlands (from 3.5% in 2001 to 4.2% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.1% to 3.8%.

The proportion of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability was lower than across the West Midlands

Percentage of usual residents that reported being considerably limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in the West Midlands and the average across England, March 2011

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